The Way I See You: A Percico Fanfiction
by livelongandlovebooks
Summary: Nico Di Angelo always considered himself an outcast. That is, until he meets Percy Jackson. The boy with the honey-brown hair, the sea green eyes. The boy who's kind words grasp at Nico's heart. The first person Nico can actually call a friend. As Percy and Nico become closer, feelings are balanced out. But when secrets are revealed, their connection could break. Permanently.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: **I AM NOT RICK RIORDAN NOR WILL I EVER MATCH HOW AMAZING OF A WRITER HE IS****

**Ayy**

**Yeah, Sarah here**

**So, this is like my first fanfiction and it's probably really crappy**

**I'll probably try and update at least one or two chapters every week, maybe more**

**Alright, there's cursing in this thing so if you can't do cursing and/or don't like it, then just take a brief glance before you read it (I think there's a swear word in like the first paragraph, so)**

**There's also going to be a bit of smut, but that will all come later**

**Comments would be pretty cool because I'm not really sure if this is even a good fanfiction, I mean for all I know it could suck and be horrible and I wouldn't even know lol**

**Also, there's probably gonna be a lot of spelling and grammar errors, so if there are just point them out to me and I'll fix them as soon as possible**

**The points of view also switch between Percy and Nico every chapter, and the chapters are gonna vary in length because sometimes I'm rushed and lazy and only type a few paragraphs, and some are gonna be like hella long when I have the time or actually feel like writing**

**Kay, let's get dis shit rolling**

_**~Nico's POV~**_

School.

The alarm clock next to my bed went off.

"Fucking hell," I groaned. I rolled over in bed and slammed my hand down on the snooze button. It was 6:30am on a Friday morning. Only one more day of school until the weekend. I just had to get through today.

I climbed out of bed and started getting ready for school. I combed my hair and brushed my teeth, all that stuff. I put on black jeans and some black combat boots and pulled a band shirt over my head. I also put on my favorite leather jacket. I never went anywhere without that thing.

I love black. I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker color.

As I headed downstairs for breakfast, a familiar face greeted me.

Jaelyn was my step-mom. My dad had knocked up my real mom fifteen years ago. I only found out who she was when she died. I didn't go to the funeral. There was no reason for me to go to a funeral for someone I had never even met. My dad bleeped out of existence when he found out I was going to be born and honestly, having such a screwed up life, it's probably better that he's not in the picture.

How does Jaelyn fit into the picture?

She's the mother of my half-sister, Hazel.

My dad also knocked up Jaelyn. (No surprise there) She was only twenty when it happened, and that was thirteen years ago.

I lived in foster care until I was seven. Jaelyn tracked me down, God knows how. And when she did, she adopted me.

"Morning, Nico," she said.

"Hey, Jaelyn," I said. She was making pancakes for Hazel and I.

"Is Hazel up?" she asked me.

"I don't know, I didn't check."

"Would you?"

I sighed and left the kitchen, running up to Hazel's bedroom.

"Hazel!" I shouted, banging on the wall of her bedroom. "Get up, you slob!"

"Shut up, Nico!" she yelled at me. She opened the door to her room half dressed. I covered my eyes.

"Get dressed _before_ you open the door, please," I said.

"Well, I would have, but you wouldn't stop banging on my goddamn door!" she shouted in my face.

"Hazel!" Jaelyn called from downstairs. "What did I tell you about swearing?"

"Sorry, mom," she grumbled. "God, Nico, you're such a pain."

She slammed the door in my face and I went back downstairs.

I wasn't really hungry anymore.

I grabbed my backpack and headed out the door.

"Nico! Wait!" Jaelyn called after me. "Don't you want breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry," I said. "Thanks though."

She gave me a sad smile.

"Will you be okay at school?" she asked. I nodded. "Call if you need anything, okay?"

I left the house.

Another thing about school; it sucks dick.

I'm constantly picked on by everyone. Even the freshman. The seniors are the worst though. It's like they all hate me, even though I've never done anything to them.

There's this whole pack of jocks on the soccer team. They beat me up like it's no big deal. And let me tell you, those guys are _huge_. And I mean big. They're like fucking Amazons.

I'm not even that short. 5'7 is a good height for a fifteen year old guy, I guess. But these brutes are massive. Not to mention that when they do pick on me, there's always three or more of them.

That's why I dread going to school everyday, and that's probably why I've missed so many days and why I'm failing a bunch of classes.

Anyways, I walked to school and sure enough, four of the soccer guys were there waiting for me.

"Ayy, look who it is! Little Nico!" The team leader, Blake, shouted at me.

I stopped dead in my tracks as they surrounded me.

"Gonna cry, Nico? Huh, you gonna _cryyyy?_" another one of them cooed.

"Hit him, Blake, come on, do it!" A guy named Jordan said. At least that's what I think his name was.

Before I knew it, I had dropped my backpack as three of Blake's lackeys moved in on me. Two of them wrenched my arms behind my back and the other pushed me to the ground on my knees.

"You ready, dipshit? This is gonna hurt you a lot more than it's gonna hurt me," Blake said.

I thrashed, but the three brutes only held my arms tighter.

I looked up at Blake.

His eyes were a bright blue and his blonde hair swayed in the wind. He wasn't even good looking like everyone said he was. He was thin and muscular, sure, be he had such a gruesome sneer, it made him look like a rapist.

"Any last words, Di Angelo?" Blake asked me.

I stared into his eyes.

"You're a piece of trash," I spat at him. I looked at him, and he was clearly taken aback.

"You've got some nerve, kid," he said to me.

Before I could react, Blake's hand connected with my face. Hard. His fist hit directly where my eye was. I cried out in pain and felt his lackeys' grips loosen on me. I fell back onto the ground, clutching my face in pain.

"What the hell!" A familiar voice shouted. I didn't look up to see who it was. There was a cough and an 'ugh' sound from one of the guys that had beaten me up. "God, Nico, are you okay?" Hazel said, putting her arms around me.

I nodded and sat up, surveying the scene.

Jordan, Blake's brute best friend, was on the ground holding his crotch.

"Did you kick him?" I coughed. Hazel nodded. "You're going to get in so much trouble. They'll probably suspend you."

"Let them," she said to me. "It makes no difference. Come on, let's get you to the nurse."

She helped me up and she walked me to the nurse.

"Good, lord!" the nurse said as I walked in. "Sit down, child, you're going to bleed out!"

She handed me a large gauze-wrapped icepack and had me sit in a chair. Hazel told her what happened as I sat there, looking at the ground, feeling shameful that my little sister had to fend off the guys picking on me.

"Hazel," I said to her when she was done talking to the nurse. "Stop trying to defend me."

She stared at me, her mouth open and her eyes in shock.

"So you want me to just stand by and watch you get beat up everyday?" she said quietly. "I'll never let that happen."

"I'm two years older than you, I can take care of myself," I said, heat rising in my voice.

"Really? Because it looks like Blake and his friends used your face as a punching bag!" she shouted.

I stood up, towering over her.

"Stop trying to get on my good side," I said to her. "I don't need you, I don't _want_ you to defend me. So stop. I can handle things on my own."

She glared at me, hurt clearly visible in her eyes.

"Fine," she said. "I'll stop trying to be your sister, if that's what you want."

She left the nurse's office.

I plopped back down on the chair for a while until the nurse said I was free to go. She gave me a pass to class.

When I walked in, the math teacher, Mr. Denzel, was in the middle of a lesson.

"And now, if you just subtract one-fifth of this and put it over here you just-" He stopped mid sentence and looked at me as I came through the door. "Nice of you to join us, Mr. Di Angelo. Have a seat. And see me after class, please."

The casual 'Ooo's traveled through the classroom. I took a seat in the back of the room.

"Hey," a boy to my right whispered to me. I look at him, trying to hide my black eye with my hair. "How's your eye? I saw Blake punch you earlier.

I stared at him and blinked a few times.

Why was this guy talking to me?

"It's um, fine, thanks," I said. The boy smiled.

"I don't think we've ever talked before," he said. "Percy Jackson." He held out his hand.

After a few seconds, I shook it.

His touch was warm, like fire.

I pulled back too quickly.

He smiled again. "I don't bite," he said.

"Why are you talking to me?" I asked.

"Why not?"

"Jackson," Mr. Denzel said. "See me after class with Di Angelo."

"Whoops," Percy said. He smiled one last time before he turned away from me.

As the bell rang and I was about to slip out the door, Mr. Denzel caught me.

"Not so fast, Nico."

"Shit," I muttered. I turned around.

"Have a seat, boys," Mr. Denzel said. I took a seat at a desk in the front. Percy sat beside me. "I know what's been going on," he said. "Nico, the black eye is obvious, stop trying to hide it."

I scoffed.

"Mr. Denzel, it wasn't me, I swear it was-" Percy started.

"I know who it was, Percy. And you should be ashamed that you've done nothing to stop it. This poor boy has been tormented by your teammates. Yes, Mr. Jackson, _your teammates_."

Percy sighed. He looked genuinely upset.

"With all due respect, Mr. Denzel, I can take care of myself," I said.

"And that's where you're wrong, Nico," Denzel said. "Jackson, I've arranged it so your schedule is being switched. You'll be in every single class Nico is in."

"_What_?" I shouted, slamming my hand on the desk. "Mr. Denzel, you can't be serious!"

"I am, boys. Nico, you should be thankful I'm doing this for you. School should be a safe place for everyone, and it's clearly not for you."

"Why are you doing this?" Percy asked.

"Because," Denzel said. "Percy, with you around, no one is going to pick on Nico. You're well-liked, son. Nico needs a good friend right now, too."

"Friends my ass," I snorted.

"I'm not happy about this anymore than you are, Di Angelo," Percy snapped at me.

"Percy, enough. I expect good behavior from you. You're a good kid, Percy. I know you can do this. Your schedule will be switched on Monday."

Mr. Denzel dismissed us from the class.

On Monday, I would begin school in a whole different way.

On Monday, I would begin school with Percy Jackson.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ayy**

**Sarah here, again**

**Yeah, sorry this chapter is so short, I just thought having such a long chapter would be kind of boring**

**So, here you go**

_**~Percy's POV~**_

Nico Di Angelo.

Can this year get any worse?

I have to spend my _entire _year with some sophomore? It's not my fault Blake was an asshole and decided it would be fun to beat up the kid. Why do I have to pay for it? Why is it my fault?

After Denzel lectured me on the entire thing, I went about my day as usual, enjoying the last time I'd set foot in my classes again.

I had soccer practice after school.

Joy.

As soon as I stepped onto the field, Blake and his buddies sauntered over to me.

"Jackson," Blake said. "I heard about your little romance with Nico Di Angelo." He smirked.

"Shut up," I shouted in his face. "Shut the _fuck _up!"

Even though Blake was a senior, I was his height, 6'.

"What are you gonna do, huh Jackson?" he shouted back. I was nose to nose with him when our coach came over.

"Break it up, you two," he said. He pushed Blake away from me.

"You're such a dick, you know that Blake?" I yelled from beside our coach. "Just because of your fat-ass ego. You had to go and pick on a kid who's never done anything to you, and I have to end up paying for it!"

"Yeah? You defending him, Jackson? You gonna go and make out with your little lover-boy Nico?" he yelled back.

That did it.

I pushed past our coach and tackled Blake to the ground.

The entire soccer team made a circle around us, shouts coming from the sidelines.

"Get 'em, Percy!"

"Blake, punch the kid's ugly face!"

"Fight, fight, fight!"

Our coach tried to pull me off Blake, but we started to roll across the field, and soon he was on top of me, straddling me with his knees.

I looked up at him and raised my fist, sucker-punching him right in the jaw.

Big mistake.

Before I knew it, his fist was connecting with my face over and over again, like I was a punching bag, like what he had done to Nico. I heard bone crack in my face, but I didn't feel it because it was numb. I felt my body go limp and I could feel the blood rushing down my face and onto my shirt.

I laid on the ground, my face a complete mess.

Soon the weight of his body left mine and I rolled over and coughed up blood. I looked to see our coach and a bunch of other players holding him back from me. Coach was screaming at him.

I didn't bother to see what happened after that. My face felt like one massive bruise.

I coughed up more blood and then blacked out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ayy**

**Yeah, it's Sarah again**

**Is anyone even reading this fanfiction?**

**I feel like it's so shitty and no one is even reading it lolol**

**But yeah**

**Chapter three, here ya go**

_**~Nico's POV~**_

_Well shit_.

I was walking home with Hazel when she stopped me.

"Oh my God," she said. She held her phone up to her face.

"What?" I asked. I glanced at her phone. It was a text from Percy's little sister, Annabeth. Her and Hazel were friends.

"Nico, Percy's been beat up," she said.

I scoffed.

"So? I was beat up this morning."

"It was Blake," she continued. "His nose is broken and he's at the hospital right now."

"Is he okay?" I asked. Not that I cared.

Hazel sent a text to Annabeth.

"He'll be there all weekend. He's pretty upset that Blake did that to him. He'd never had problems with him in the past," she said. She looked at her phone again and gasped.

"What? What is it?" I asked her.

"Annabeth...says he beat up Percy," she said slowly. "Because of you."

My heart sunk.

What did I do to get Percy beaten up?

I pushed past Hazel and kept on walking home.

"Nico, wait!" Hazel said. She tried catching up to me but I was faster than her. "He did it because he was defending you!" she shouted after me.

I didn't stop walking.

Why the hell did Percy Jackson, one of the most popular juniors in the school, care about a measly little, emo sophomore like me?

Why is that _he_ cares and no one else does?

What is it about him that makes him care?

Who even is this Percy Jackson guy? It's not like he knows me. It's not like he _wants _to know me. He'd become a laughing stalk if he became my friend. He would get picked on all the time.

I pushed the thoughts into the back of my mind.

The weekend came and went, like it usually did, and I soon was waking up to my alarm on Monday morning.

I sighed.

More Percy Jackson action today.

I put on my daily clothes and headed to school with Hazel. She made a point of walking by my side when we entered the school. Surprisingly, Blake and his pals weren't in their typical spot. Probably because of Friday.

"Nico," Hazel said to me. She grabbed my arm before I stepped into my homeroom. "Be careful, okay? I already know that they're going to suspend me for a few days for punching that Jordan kid. Just...don't get into any trouble, got it?"

She let go of my arm and I walked into the room.

Everyone stared at me and I immediately could feel my self confidence shrink to the size of a grain of sand. I took a seat in the back and stared at my hands.

I saw someone sit next to me and I looked over to see who it was.

It was Percy Jackson.

Great.

I grunted as he sat down. He turned to look at me.

His nose was puffed up and had stitches in it and he had a purple ring around his eye, like me.

"The hell happened to you?" I asked. He snorted.

"Beat up by Blake, what else?" he retorted.

We didn't say anything for a few minutes until I turned to him.

"Percy," I said. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" he asked.

"Hazel and Annabeth, they told me what happened. Is it true that you were defending me?" I asked him. He stared at me for a moment.

"Yeah, it's true," he said. "But it wasn't your fault I got beat up by Blake. God, I hope they kick him off the team. I mean, hell, he gave you a black eye, he beat the crap out of my face. And we're not the only one's he's beaten up before."

"Yeah," I said.

We didn't speak for the rest of the class. When it was over, I grabbed my backpack and headed down the hall to math. I heard Percy catching up to me and he walked by my side.

"You do know that everyone in this school hates me, right?" I asked him. I continued to look straight ahead.

"That's not true," he said.

"Yeah, it is. People are going to start hating on you, too," I said. He didn't reply, so I let the topic die off.

I walked into Mr. Denzel's class and took my usual seat in the back. Percy sat next to me.

God, what is it with this guy?

He's on the varsity soccer team. Why the hell is he hanging around me? I'm a freak, a goddamn freak. I know that his schedule was changed so it matched mine, but I didn't actually think he would follow through with it. I didn't actually think he would attempt to be my _friend_. We're basically polar opposites. I have dark, black, shaggy hair that's always in my eyes. He has brown hair, always neatly combed so you can see his face. My dark eyes blend in with my body whereas his sea-green ones stick out and are probably his most noticeable feature. He's way bigger than me, too. I'm not that tall, and I sure as hell aren't muscular. I don't work out, I'm just naturally skinny and I always have been. Clearly Percy works out a lot, he's built like the Hulk, for God's sake.

Another thing that sets me apart from almost everyone in this school?

I'm not straight.

Well, I shouldn't really say that. I mean, I've never even considered my sexuality, really. I don't look at people the way a normal guy does. I don't look at girls, I know that. And I know I don't particularly look at guys. I mean, I probably look at guys more than girls, yeah. But I honestly have no clue if I'm straight, bisexual, or gay.

My thoughts were interrupted as Mr. Denzel touched my shoulder.

"Nico," he said. I looked up at him. He handed me back a test we took a few days ago.

I got an F.

_Shit_.

"See me after class, would you? You too, Percy," Denzel said. We both groaned in unison.

What now?

As class was dismissed, Percy and I walked up to Mr. Denzel.

"Nico, you understand that you're failing my class, correct?" Denzel said to me.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"I want you to have a tutor," Denzel said.

I looked at Percy next to me.

_God, please no._

"Percy here has exceptional grades in my class and is probably the best tutor for you," Mr. Denzel said.

"Mr. Denzel, you can't be serious," Percy asked.

"I am, Jackson. Nico, don't look so smug. You need this, son. You need to be able to pass this class to graduate, is that understood?" he said to me.

"This is bullshit, utter _bullshit_," I spat. I stormed out of the classroom.

"Nico, wait!" Denzel called after me, but I didn't turn around.

I walked down a hallway in the school, passing the principal's office.

"Blake, have a seat," I could hear the principal say.

I stopped in my tracks and ducked behind the door.

_This should be good_.

"Blake, you realize that you beat up a fellow teammate of yours on school grounds; Percy Jackson. And it's come to my attention that you have been beating up Nico Di Angelo as well. Is this true?" the principal asked.

"I mean, yeah, it's true, but those two punks both deserved it," Blake said.

"That's not what I wanted to hear," he said. "Blake, I'm not going to sugar-coat this. Son, your actions are rational, and there needs to be a stop to it. From this point on to the rest of the year, you are being expelled from the varsity soccer team."

There was silence.

"You're free to go," the principal said.

I heard footsteps and I stood up from the door and started walking down the hallway. Blake stepped out of the office.

"_You_," he growled. I turned around and stared at Blake. He rushed towards me and grabbed the collar of my leather jacket. I dropped my backpack in the process. He threw he up against the row of lockers. "This is your fault, you bastard!" he shouted at my face. I could see tears forming in his eyes. "That team was all I had and you _ruined_ it, _you ruined it_!"

He slammed me into the lockers for a second time. Pain shot up my spine.

"Hey!" someone shouted. I turn to see Percy running towards us. "Let him go, Blake."

"It's your fault too!" Blake yelled. "Both of you. You're going to pay for this. You'll pay!"

Blake threw me one more time into the lockers and I crumpled to the floor, coughing. He ran down the hallway. I didn't look after him.


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is hella short**

**Whoops**

**I'll probably post chapter 5 tonight maybe?**

**We'll see**

**I'm posting faster than I can write and I'm pretty sure that's a bad thing**

**I think**

**Yeah, have fun reading this chapter**

_**~Percy's POV~**_

I ran over to Nico. He was coughing pretty badly.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. I put my hand on his back.

"_Don't touch me_," he growled. I pulled my hand back. Nico struggled to stand up. I was about to help him, but he shied away from my touch. "I'm sick of that asshole beating me up," he said. I nodded.

"Nico?" I asked. He stared at me. I sighed. "Why do you hate me?"

He looked shocked that I asked that.

"I don't...hate you Percy," he said slowly. "I just..." He sighed. "I've never had friends before, alright? I'm not used to having people around me. The only person that's ever been there for me is myself. I guess you could say I have trust issues."

"No, I get it, really. But I think if we're going to be spending more time together, we should at least _try_ to get along," I said. "Alright?"

I held out my hand for Nico to take. He looked at it for a few seconds before finally grabbing it. I pulled him to his feet.

"Thanks," he said. I grabbed his backpack for him and he took it from me. We headed to our class, even though we were really late. The teacher didn't say anything to us. She obviously knew what had happened to us the past few days and decided to let it slide.

When that period ended, we went to lunch.

My little sister, Annabeth, and Hazel, Nico's younger sister, had lunch the same period we did. I had other friends, but not close friends. The guys on the soccer team never paid that much attention to me, so I'm mostly on my own at school.

Nico and I sat at the same table and Hazel and Annabeth sat with us.

"You guys are getting along?" Annabeth asked. She eyed Nico and then gave me a look. One of those you're-fricken-crazy looks. I rolled my eyes at her.

I pulled out my lunch and started eating. I saw that Nico just sat in his chair on his phone.

"You're not going to eat lunch?" I asked him. He stared at me.

"I don't eat," he said, merely shaking it off. I gave him a quizzical look.

"Is that why you're so skinny?" I asked him. "You really should eat something. Here." I handed him my Gushers.

"What are these?" he asked me.

"They're gummies," I said. "They have like, this filling on the inside so when you bite into them, it's like a rush of sweetness. They're good."

He opened the package and took a red one out. He put it in his mouth and made a weird face.

"They're good," he said.

"Told you."

"Nico?" Hazel asked from across the table. He looked at her. "I just wanted you to know this. I can't come back to school the rest of the week. They're suspending me for punching that kid."

"Are you serious?" he asked. She looked down at her food.

"Yeah, they said I was causing too much violence," Hazel said.

"Oh, but it's okay for those assholes to beat up me and Percy," Nico said angrily.

"Blake was kicked off the team, though," I said to Hazel. "He's definitely getting what he deserves."

"I guess," Hazel said.

"But still. This school is fucked up," Nico said.

We didn't talk much the rest of the school day. Nico and I went to the classes together. None of the teachers said a word to us.

When it was the end of the school day, I asked Nico if he wanted me to start tutoring him after school today.

He said no.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ayy**

**Yeah, this chapter kinda got me with the feels a little**

**Just a little**

**But um, yeah I've only written 12 chapters (24 pages all together) and I'm updating WAY faster than I'm writing**

**Because I'm too lazy to write a new chapter everyday **

**And I kind of want this fanfiction to last and not rush through it**

**So, I'm probably gonna just update like once a week and be one of those annoying authors**

**Sorry 3**

**But yeah, chapter 5, have fun**

_**~Nico's POV~**_

I walked home with Hazel.

"So, you and Percy seem to be getting along okay," she said. I shrugged.

"I guess," I said.

I didn't really have an opinion on Percy yet. Sure, he was nice. And sure, he really was trying make an effort to be my friend. I guess I should be grateful. No one's ever been this nice to me before.

"Nico?" Hazel asked me. I looked at her. "Are you gay?"

I stopped.

"What kind of question is that?" I asked her.

"Just answer it," she said. "I won't tell anyone."

"I don't know," I said. And that was the truth.

"It's okay if you are," she said. "I would support you. I'm sure mom would, too."

"I don't know if Jaelyn would," I said.

"Why do you call her Jaelyn?" Hazel asked.

"She's not my mom."

"But you live with her."

"I'm not going to call her my mom, if that's what you're trying to get me to do. You're only my half-sister, you know," I said.

"I know," she said quietly.

We walked home together in silence.

"Mom!" Hazel called when we entered the doorway. "We're home!"

I threw my backpack down onto the floor by the doorway.

"Jaelyn!" I called.

No response.

"Where is she?" Hazel asked me. I shrugged.

Hazel started to yell her name.

I walked into the kitchen to get a snack.

I froze in my tracks.

Jaelyn was there, a man holding a knife to her throat.

"Jaelyn!" I shouted. Hazel ran up behind me and screamed.

"Don't move, or she gets it," the man said.

"What the hell do you want?" I asked the man.

"I want all of your jewelery," he said to us. "Go get all of it. Now!"

Hazel scurried up to her room, but I stayed where I was. When she came back down, she was holding everything she owned. Tears streamed down her face.

"Take it, just take it! Please don't hurt my mom," she cried.

"Hazel, give me the jewelery," I said. She handed it to me. I carried it towards the man and threw it on the floor in front of him.

"Put the damn jewelery in that bag," he said. He kicked a bag over to me.

I bent down the pick it up.

I then remembered that I had a pocket knife in my boot.

As I was picking up the jewelery, I slowly pulled the knife from my boot.

Soon, I was grabbing the man and pulling him off of Jaelyn. I stabbed the knife into his arm and he dropped his. I picked it up.

"Don't move, or I'll cut you to bits," I snarled. The man looked terrified.

"Mom!" Hazel shouted. She ran to Jaelyn, who was coughing from where the man held her neck.

"Get out of my goddamn house, maggot," I said to the man. He turned and ran out of the house.

As soon as he left, I grabbed the phone and called the police.

They arrived within minutes at our house. Jaelyn was okay, just really scared.

When everything had calmed down and the police were surveying the scene, Hazel hugged me.

"How did you do that?" she asked quietly. "I was so terrified and you were so brave. You saved our mom."

"I wasn't scared," I said. We hugged for a while until one of the police officers came over to me.

"I believe this is yours," he said. He handed me my pocketknife. It wasn't covered in the man's blood anymore. "That was really brave of you, son. I've never seen something like it."

"Thanks," I said.

The police left eventually, and Jaelyn and Hazel went up to bed. I locked all the doors and windows and finally trudged up to my room myself.

I fell asleep in the pitch blackness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ew this is a really short chapter**

**Sorry ;-;**

**I'll probably post chapter seven later tonight or tomorrow**

**But I haven't even written any new chapters in like a week**

**Whoops**

**I'm slacking heh**

**Does anyone wanna tell me what this 'Life' means on my saved documents?**

**Confused**

**Anyways, here's chapter 6**

**kay bye**

_**~Percy's POV~**_

Annabeth had told me late at night that there had been a break-in at Nico's house.

"God, is he okay?" I asked her. Annabeth nodded.

"Hazel says that he saved her mom's life," she said.

I sighed.

That poor kid. He'd been through so much trauma. He's only fifteen, no one should have to go through a life like that.

"Annabeth, does Hazel have Nico's number?" I asked.

"Probably. Why, do you want it?" she asked. I nodded.

Annabeth got his number from Hazel. I grabbed my phone and texted him.

**Me**: Hey Nico, I heard what had happened at your house. Are you okay?

**Nico**: Who is this?

**Me**: Percy Jackson

**Nico**: The hell Jackson I was sleeping

**Me**: Aha sorry, but seriously, are you okay?

**Nico**: I'm fine goddamnit

**Me**: That's good

**Nico**: …

**Me**: What?

**Nico**: Can I go back to sleep now?

**Me**: Of course, night

**Nico**: Bye

I put my phone down. God, he was such a troubled kid. Why couldn't I do more for him? I was trying to be his friend, trying to show him that not everyone is bad, trying to show him that I _care_, but he's just pushing me away.

My phone buzzed on my night table and I picked it up.

**Nico**: Thanks Percy

**Me**: For?

**Nico**: Checking on me

**Me**: That's what friends are for, right?

I put my phone back down and fell asleep, hoping what I said would get across to Nico.


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter really hit me hard in the feels**

**Please don't hate me ;-;**

**Also, is anyone even reading this? **

**I feel like I'm the only one here, just entertaining myself**

**Ahahaha**

**But yeah here's chapter 7 whooohooo not like anyone cares bye**

_**~Nico's POV~**_

_That's what friends are for, right?_

Percy's text kept playing through my mind.

Did Jackson seriously consider us as friends?

I barely now him.

He did get beat up for me though...And he _did_ agree to tutor me in math...

Was Percy Jackson my friend...?

I took me a long time to fall back asleep. I only slept for maybe, four hours.

I woke up to my alarm, once again. I got dressed and did everything in the morning before going down to see Jaelyn.

"It's not fair," I said.

"What?" she asked. She was cooking bacon.  
>"I have to go to school and Hazel doesn't," I said angrily.<p>

"She's also suspended," Jaelyn said to me.

I retorted with a grunt.

I sat down at the table and waited for her to finish cooking the bacon.

"You're actually going to eat breakfast?" she asked.

What Percy had said to me at lunch played through my mind.

_Is that why you're so skinny? You really should eat something. _

"Yeah," I said. "I'm hungry."

She looked at me suspiciously.

"Okay then..."

She set some bacon on my plate.

It _did_ smell really good.

I grabbed a fork and started to eat the bacon. Hazel came downstairs in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes. She stopped when she saw me eating, her mouth open.

"He's actually _eating_?" she asked Jaelyn. "Mom, what did you do?"

"Nothing, I swear," she said.

"Nico Di Angelo is _actually_ eating something for once. This is amazing," she said.

"Oh, shut up," I said.

"Ohhohhhh, I know why he's eating," she said. She smiled wickedly. "It's because Percy told you to at lunch yesterday, isn't it?"

I glared at her.

"Who's Percy?" Jaelyn asked.

"No one," I said.

"It's Annabeth's older brother. Ever since Nico was beat up on Friday, they put Percy in all of his classes to protect him. It's kind of cute, actually," Hazel said.

"Shut the fuck _up_, Hazel!" I shouted at her. I got up from my chair, slamming it into the table, and grabbed my backpack. I ran out of the house.

Why the hell was I so angry? She had just told Jaelyn what had happened to school, it wasn't like it was something to hide.

"What's happening to me?" I muttered to myself as I trudged to school.

When I got there, Percy was waiting in homeroom for me.

"Hey, Di Angelo," he said. He could see the distraught look on my face. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is _fantastic_," I said angrily. He looked at me, concern all over his face.

"You know, you can tell me," he said. "But I won't pry."

"Boys, take a seat," our teacher said to us.

I ignored pretty much everything first period. I didn't really care anymore. When the bell rang, I went out into the hall with all the other students. Percy wasn't by my side, either. I had pushed through the crowd and I guess he had lost me.

As I walked down the hallway, there were shouts and screams. People were cowering against the walls, crying.

_What the hell?_

I heard loud footsteps coming towards me.

I turned around and saw Blake at the end of the hallway.

With a gun in his hand.

Pointed at me.

My eyes grew wide with fear and I dropped my backpack. I took off in a sprint down the hallway. I was small, but I was fast.

"Nico Di Angelo! I swore to you that you would pay for ruining everything!" Blake shouted. His voice got further away. My heart hammered in my chest.

Then there was a click and a bang.

I fell, crumpling in the middle of the hallway. Pain soared from my side into the rest of my body. I cried out, and my face hit the floor with a _thunk_.

I could hear people screaming but my head just swirled. My entire body was on fire.

_I'm going to die_.

I heard two more shots go off.

Two more bullets hit my body. One in my leg, and the other in my foot.

I laid there on the ground, blood pooling around me. I could feel it. I could feel all of the pain. Feet ran past me and screams filled my ears. People kicked me as they ran past. I didn't move. I _couldn't_ move.

Then, someone bent down next to me, their hands shaking me so I wouldn't black out. I cried out in pain again.

The last thing I saw were someone's eyes, terrified, crying, and sea green.


	8. Chapter 8

**IM UPDATING TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY**

**WHOOOOOO**

**So proud of myself**

_**~Percy's POV~**_

"Nico!" I cried out. I knelt over his body. "Nico, don't you dare fucking die on me."

Tears ran down my face. The hallway was almost entirely empty. I saw Mr. Denzel running towards me.

"Good God," he said. His face was filled with horror.

"Mr. Denzel, don't let him die," I said. More tears flooded my eyes. "Please."

"He's not going to die, son," Denzel said. His voice shook. "An ambulance is on it's way, just hold on Nico, you hear? Just hold on..."

Paramedics were soon running down the hallway with a stretcher. The put Nico on it and wheeled him away. I ran after them, even though Denzel said not to.

"What's your name son? Can you hear me?" one of the paramedics said to Nico.

"His name is Nico," I said.

"Nico, can you hear me? Nico?"

No response.

They put an oxygen mask over his face.

"What's your relation to him?" another paramedic asked me.

"I'm his best friend," I said to him.

I ran out of the school with them. They let me get into the ambulance. We drove to the hospital.

On the way, his heart stopped.

"He's going into shock!" one of them shouted. I turned away. I couldn't look.

One of them yelled, "Clear!" and there was a buzzing sound. Heart defibrillator was my first thought.

We reached the hospital in time. I got out of the ambulance and ran along side them until a doctor stopped me.

"You have to wait here," she said to me. "They're taking him to surgery."

I watched as they wheeled him through a pair of double doors.

I broke down in the hallway, putting my head in my hands. I crawled over to a nearby bench and laid down on it, sobbing.

I don't know how long I stayed that way. It was for a while, probably. Footsteps came running down the hallway.

"Percy?" I heard Hazel call to me. I looked up to see her standing there, crying. Her mom was next to her, trembling.

"Hazel," I said. I got up and hugged her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. There were so many people in the hallways and I couldn't see him and then Blake was just there with the gun and he shot him and I saw him fall and I tried to save him, Hazel, I tried so hard but I couldn't, _I_ _couldn't and I'm sorry_."

"It's not your fault," she sobbed into my shirt. "It's not your fault, Percy."

We cried and hugged for a long time. And I hugged Hazel's mom too. She was terrified, I could feel her shaking as I hugged her.

We sat down on the bench outside of the double doors, waiting for any news about Nico.

Hours later, a doctor came out of the double doors.

"Are you Nico Di Angelo's family?" he asked us.

"Yes," I replied. Hazel and her mom looked at me.

"He's stable," the doctor said. Relief flooded over me. "He has three bullet wounds. One in his left side, another in his calf, and the third in his foot. Lucky for him, the bullet mostly ricocheted off his boot for the foot wound, so it's not to badly damaged. His calf should heal rather quickly, though he'll have to be in a wheelchair for a few weeks. His side however...that was the worst of the three. The bullet was in deep. We got it all out, but getting it out caused more damage to his side than I'd have liked. He'll have to stay here for a week so we can check the progress. I'm very sorry this happened to him."

The doctor started to walk away.

"When can we see him?" I asked.

"He should be okay in a few hours. He hit his head pretty hard on the floor, so he needs a little time to recover. I'll tell you when he's ready."

Hazel, her mom, and I all sat there on the bench. I texted my mom and Annabeth to let them know where I was. It was 6pm when the doctor finally came out again.

"He's asking for someone named Percy," the doctor said. I looked up at him and then stood up. Hazel and her mom followed behind me. He led us to a room. I opened the door and stepped inside.

Nico was lying there on a hospital bed, all sorts of contraptions hooked up to him. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and the bandages on his side were showing. He had a blanket draped over him from the waist down.

"Nico!" Hazel cried. She ran over to the bedside and hugged him. Nico gasped. "Sorry! I didn't mean to hug you so hard, I just...I thought you had died." She said the last part quietly.

"Mom," he said. "Jaelyn."

"He never calls you mom," Hazel whispered to her mother, who must have been Jaelyn.

Jaelyn stood next to the bed and took Nico's hand.

"I'm here, baby," she said to him. "I'm here."

Nico made a face and then his eyes landed on me.

"Percy," he sighed. Hazel look at her mom.

"Let's give them some space," she said. They left the room.

"Hey, Nico," I said. I sat down in a chair near his bed. He just looked at me. "How do you feel?"

"Shitty," he said. I smiled. That's the Nico I knew.

"Look," I started.

"Save it," Nico said. He put a hand up before I could finish.

"But-"

"No."

"Nico I-"

"Percy Jackson, I said no." He sighed. "It wasn't your fault, okay? I was the one who was trying to lose you in the crowd. And I'm glad I did, because if I hadn't, you would be laying in the hospital bed next to me. So, don't apologize, got it?"

I nodded.

And then Nico smiled. He _actually _smiled.

"I'm just glad you're okay," I said. "They arrested Blake. He's being charged for attempting murder."

"Good. Let him rot where he belongs," Nico said. I laughed. "The doctor said I'm gonna have to be in a wheelchair for a few weeks. You mind wheeling me around at school?"

"Not one bit," I said.


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow this chapter is hella short**

**Sorry ;_;**

**But I can't believe people are ACTUALLY reading my fanfiction**

**I love you all so much, you're all beautiful and gorgeous and amazing 3 *lots of internet hugs***

**I haven't updated in like a week**

**Whoops**

**And I also need to catch up on my writing**

**Also**

**MERRY FUCKING CHRISTMAS**

**;3**

**xoxo -Sarah**

_**~Nico's POV~**_

God, now was _not _the time to consider my sexuality. But I mean, I couldn't help it. Percy Jackson, the tall boy with the sea green eyes, was sitting here in front of me, trying to apologize for me getting shot even though it wasn't his fault at all.

But I realized as soon as Hazel and Jaelyn left the room.

I realized as soon as his sea green eyes fell on my dark ones.

I realized that I was in love with Percy Jackson.

I couldn't help but notice the way his lips curved into a smile when he was happy, couldn't help but notice how his hair always fell into his eyes because it was long and he had to push it back all the time, I couldn't help but notice that he could never sit still and probably had ADHD, couldn't help but notice the way his muscles flexed in his arms and back when he walked.

But I wasn't going to ruin our friendship by telling him. Not yet, at least. Not until I find out of he's gay or straight.

How was I going to figure it out?

Hazel, of course.

"Nico?" Percy called my name. "Earth to Nico."

"Huh?" I asked. I must have zoned out.

He smiled brightly and I melted a little inside.

Fuck.

"What time is it?" I asked. Percy took out his phone.

"It's 8pm," he said. I yawned.

"I think I'm gonna get some sleep, okay?" I said. Percy nodded.

"I'll be here tomorrow, okay? I'll come visit everyday," Percy said. I nodded. He headed towards the door.

"Tell Hazel and Jaelyn that I'm gonna sleep," I said.

"Okay," he said. He grabbed the doorknob.

"Percy?" I asked. He turned around. "Thank you. For being there for me."

He smiled one last time before turning off the lights and stepping out of the room.

I was exhausted, and it didn't take long for sleep to take me.


	10. Chapter 10

**MERRY CHRISTMAS YOU NERDS**

**I love you all so much tbh 3**

**Anyways, I've actually been writing more, yay! *high fives myself***

**Also, the next few chapters after this have some pretty intense stuff**

**And your feels will probably shatter**

**I'm sorry ;-;**

**xoxo -Sarah**

_**~Percy's POV~**_

I closed the door to Nico's hospital room. Jaelyn and Hazel were going to go inside, but I told them he didn't want to be bothered.

"Percy," Jaelyn asked me. "Would it be too much to ask of you to stay here with him? I've never seen him have a close friend like you, and I don't want him to...break again."

"_Mom_," Hazel hissed. Jaelyn shook her head.

"Sure, I can stay here with him. It shouldn't be a problem," I said. Jaelyn and Hazel both said goodbye and left the hospital.

I waited an hour before sneaking into Nico's room, just to make sure he was asleep.

And sure enough, he was.

He was turned over onto his good side, the left, with his right arm draped around his stomach. His mouth was open slightly and he was drooling a bit.

I laughed to myself.

God, he was so cute.

_Wait, what?_

I stared at Nico, my mouth hanging open in shock.

No way.

I was in love with Nico Di Angelo.

There was no possible way. I'm not gay.

At least I think.

Fuck, I _am_ gay.

And I'm in love with Nico Di Angelo.

Shit.

I cursed to myself over and over again.

Nico wasn't gay. It was just impossible. He was a guy, a _dude_. He would never love someone like me in that way. Maybe as friends, sure, but as lovers?

No way in hell.

I sighed and stared at Nico's sleeping figure. He looked so much younger than he was. All those lines of worry and sadness, fear, guilt, anger, doubt, all of those lines on his face that I see everyday; they were gone. It was as if all of his troubles in the world had disappeared.

I then leaned over towards his face. I took my hand and let it hover above his cheek. After a few seconds of contemplating if I should do it or not, I placed my hand on his face.

He was ice cold, like he had been laying out in the snow for hours. I gave a small gasp. My hand felt so warm against his face.  
>He then moved.<p>

I pulled my hand away quickly.

"No," he groaned quietly, still half asleep. "You're so warm..."

I let my hand wander back to his face. He then took his right hand and held mine there. He sighed .

He fell back asleep quickly. At least I think he did because his breathing became even and light again.

I fell asleep too, with my head on the hospital bed next to his.


	11. Chapter 11

**Ayooo**

**Yeah, sorry the next few chapters are gonna be kinda short...**

**But I promise, there'll be some longer ones later **

**Aaaaand this chapter also kind of has some feely stuff and I'm like crying while typing this bc I'm a loser XD**

**Also, a big thank you to all of you that are reading this, when I log on and see that people read my fanfiction everyday literally just makes me the happiest person in the world, and it's pretty hard to make me love life sometimes**

**I love you all, thank you all so much 3**

**xoxo -Sarah**

_**~Nico's POV~**_

Was I actually asleep when Percy came into the room?

Nope.

I had woken up right before he came in.

His warm hand was still on my face when I woke up the next morning. I opened my eyes to find him face down on the bed sitting in a chair.

"Percy," I whispered to him. He didn't move. "Percy, wake up."

He slowly lifted his head and looked into my eyes.

"Morning," he said, yawning. "What time is it?" He rubbed his eyes.

Fuck, that was adorable.

I could feel my face get warm.

"You okay, Nico?" he asked me. He took his hand off my face and stretched his arms out. "Your face is all red."

"I'm fine," I lied. "And it's, like, 8am." I turned away from him and laid down on my back.

My body hurt like hell. Even breathing was a constant struggle. I was shirtless as I lied there in the bed, the bandages wrapping around my torso. They stopped around the top of my chest, around where my pecks where. Not that I had pecks. Well, I did, they were just small.

The rest of me was covered in a blanket, waist down. I was pretty sure that I still had boxers on, so I ripped the blanket off and threw it on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Percy asked, coming over to the bedside.

"I wanna go for a walk," I said. "Can you help me sit up?"

"Sure," he said.

Percy came over and put his arms under my armpits and pulled me up so I was sitting with my feet dangling over the bed.

"Uh, thanks," I said. I could feel my face get hot.

I asked him if he could get my shirt for me, I felt self-conscious without one. He did as I asked and handed me my black shirt. I decided it probably wasn't a good idea to put jeans on over the bullet wounds, so I stayed in my boxers instead.

They were black with skulls on them.

Whoops.

Percy didn't seem to mind though.

There was a wheelchair in the corner of the room and he went over and got it for me.

"I don't think I can get in this thing on my own," I said sheepishly, looking down at my bandaged leg and foot.

"Oh."

"I'm sorry," I said. "We don't have to go for a walk."

"Hey, no," Percy said. He smiled and picked me up.

Bridal style.

Sweet Jesus.

"Percy," I said, my voice trailing off. My face burned again.

"Nico, stop blushing," he said, trying not to laugh. That just made my face redder. He placed me in the wheelchair. It was too big, I had more than enough room to sit. But whatever.

I was spending time with Percy, wasn't I?

He wheeled me out of the room and down the hallway. It was kind of early, so not a lot of nurses and doctors were out in the hallways.

Percy went slowly at first, pushing me smoothly down the hallway. Then he started to pick up speed and he soon was running with me.

"P-Percy!" I shouted, gripping the arms of the wheelchair. "Slow down!"

Behind me, he was laughing like a maniac. I felt like I was going to fall out of the chair and that everything that was already bandaged would be hurt even worse.

"Percy, stop!" I yelled at him. He didn't. Tears started to fill my eyes and I was trying to hold them in. "Please!" I cried out.

I let the tears flow down my face and I choked back a sob.

We came to a sudden stop. I placed my head in my hands, silently crying.

"Nico," Percy said. He knelt down next to me. "Nico, hey..." He tried to pry my hands away from my face but I wouldn't budge.

"No," I said, crying.

Then I felt his arms around me. My eyes grew wide.

Percy was...hugging me?

No.

No, this wasn't happening.

It _couldn't _be happening.

"Don't fucking touch me!" I shouted. I pushed him away. His sea green eyes stared into mine, shock and confusion on his face. He put his arms out, expecting me to let him hug me again. "No! Get away from me!"

I forgot I was in a wheelchair and tried to turn, only to fall out and onto the ground. The pain was so excruciating, I screamed and cried even more.  
>"Oh, God," I heard Percy say. "Nurse! Nurse, help, please! Someone, help him!"<p>

I shut my eyes tightly, refusing to open them.

What was the point in living anymore?

I let the darkness take me, praying it would keep me there.


	12. Chapter 12

**Ayooo**

**You guys are going to hate me after reading this chapter**

**No, I'm not even kidding, you guys are literally going to hate me**

**I'm sorry ;_;**

**Death threats are welcome! 3**

**I still love you all 3**

**Also, this chapter is kind of long and the layout and format on the page might be a little messed up because I'm not on my own computer lol**

**xoxo -Sarah**

**_~Percy's POV~_**

"Nico," I whispered.

After he had freaked out in the hallway, he blacked out. Nurses came rushing to help him. They took him back to his room.

"Mr. Jackson, please, we need you to stay out of the room," one of the nurses said to me. She left me in the hallway after closing the door behind her.

Screams erupted from his rooms, and I could instantly tell they were Nico's.

"No! You're hurting him!" I screamed, pounding against the door. I tried the doorknob, but it was locked. "God, please, no..." I cried. I sank against the door with my hands over my ears, sobbing.

I stayed like that for hours until Hazel and her mom saw me from the end of the hallway.

"Percy!" Hazel shouted. She ran towards me and grabbed my shoulders. "What's going on? What's happening to Nico?"

"I...I don't know," I said. My throat was parched from crying.

Hazel stared at me, hurt clearly visible on her face.

"Come on," she said quietly. She grabbed my hand and pulled my up. She sure as hell was strong for her age.

She pulled me over to a bench. I just sat there and put my head in my hands while she rubbed my back. Even though she wasn't really my friend, she really knew how to comfort people. I could understand why Annabeth and her were good friends.

I didn't go to school that day, either.

Nico was in pain, how could I even do anything?

It was around 2pm when Jaelyn went to go get us something to eat. Hazel and I sat in the hallway alone.

"Percy?" she said quietly. She looked up at me with her big light brown eyes.

"Yeah?" I said. My voice was raspy.

"Do you..." She paused for a moment. "You love Nico, don't you?" I didn't say anything, just stared back at her. "I can see it in your eyes. The way you look at him. How long have you known?"

"I don't know," I said. "I barely know him."

"Percy," Hazel said. "You know that Nico lo-,"

She was cut off as the doctor came from Nico's room. I stood up quickly.

"Is he okay?" I asked. The doctor nodded.

"His side reopened a bit. He lost a lot of blood, but I stitched it up again. His leg and foot are healing nicely, though. He's been asking for you," the doctor said.

I walked into Nico's room. The lights were dimmed and the curtains were drawn. He was lying on the bed. I stood back with my hands in my pockets as Hazel knelt next to the bed.

"Hey, big bro'," she said quietly. She held his hand. "You okay?"

Nico gave a small nod. "It hurts," he said quietly, almost a whisper.

"I know, Nico, the pain will go away soon, don't worry," Hazel said.

Then, Nico gasped.

"What? What's wrong?" Hazel asked, searching his face.

"I just realized," he said. "My phone is still in the hallway at school."

"The police found your backpack and phone at the crime scene and they brought it home," Hazel said.

"You got shot three times, and you're worried about your phone?" I asked Nico jokingly.

He looked at me and smiled a bit.

"Hazel, can we have some alone time?" he asked her.

"Of course," she said, and she left the room.

I looked at Nico and his dark eyes bored into mine.

"Nico," I said quietly. I didn't move from my position a yard or two away from him.

"Why are you all the way over there?" he asked me. I shrugged.

"I don't want to hurt you again," I said. Pain filled my chest.

"Percy," he said gently. "It wasn't your fault."

"No, it was," I said. I felt tears fill my eyes. "I...I hurt you and I could have killed you if you had bled out."

I saw his eyes grow big but not for long because he stared down at his hands.

"Come here," Nico said angrily.

"What?" I asked, holding in tears.

"I said, come here."

I slowly walked over to the side of his bed.

He lifted his head to look at me. His eyes were angry, full of darkness and hatred, pain and suffering.

"Nico," I said quietly.

"Shut up, Jackson," he said fiercely.

He grabbed me by the front of my shirt and pulled me down towards his face. I didn't have time to react as his lips crashed into mine.

I was startled at first, my eyes open wide with shock, but soon I melted into the kiss, melted into his touch, melted into _him_. I closed my eyes and let my instincts kick in.

His grip on my shirt loosened, and I thought he was going to pull away. So I leaned down and cupped his face in my hands, pressing my lips harder against his. We moved in perfect sync. I felt him lean up into me and one of his hands snaked their way around the the back of my neck, gently tugging on my hair. I kissed him harder, gently tracing the outline of his lips with my tongue. I pushed my way past his lips and my tongue soon found the inside of his mouth. He let out a moan.

"Percy..." He breathed my name over and over again until we finally pulled apart to get some air.

As soon as we finished kissing, Nico fell back against the bed, his head on the pillows. He was breathing hard and panting.

"Nico," I started. I didn't know what to say.

I gently touched my fingertips to my lips.

No. This wasn't right. This _wasn't right_. I was _not _in love with Nico Di Angelo. I wasn't. It was impossible. It was wrong, on so many levels. It was a lie. No way in hell could it have been true.

But it was.

I kept denying myself the truth over and over again. It wasn't true, it wasn't true, it wasn't true. Maybe if I drilled that into my head enough times it would become true. Maybe my feelings would change and I could be normal.

As he opened his eyes and looked at me, I knew he could tell what he had done was wrong. He blinked a few times before staring at his hands.

"Why didn't you stop me?" he asked. "Why are you just now telling me that it was wrong, after I just fucking _made out with you_?"

I didn't say anything. How could I? There was nothing left to say.

"You kissed back, too," he said angrily. He looked up at me, fire blazing in his dark eyes. "You fucking kissed back and now you're telling me that it's not okay." He grabbed his hair in frustration, pulling on it hard. "You fucking _kissed back_! God, how could I have been so fucking _stupid_?! I knew it was impossible. I knew we were impossible."

"Nico-,"

But he didn't let me finish.

"Get out. Just get the fuck out, Jackson. I can't even look at you anymore," he said. He took his eyes elsewhere, as if he was trying to look at everything in the room that wasn't me.

I looked at him, pain filling my heart.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly before turning away. I left the room, closing the door behind me. I stood there for a few seconds.

I could hear him on the other side of the door. Things were clattering around the room, and I was almost certain he was throwing objects.

Then I heard a sob explode from his mouth.

Nico Di Angelo was crying.

The tough, hard-headed, lover of death, Nico Di Angelo, was crying.

Over me.

I turned and ran down the hallway, away from him, as my heart shattered into a million pieces in my chest.


	13. Chapter 13

**Do you guys hate me yet**

**I'm so sorry**

**Really, I am ;_;**

**ALSO**

**I've started a PJO poll and you can find it in my bio**

**Yayyy**

**xoxo -Sarah**

**_~Nico's POV~_**

Tears streamed down my face. I didn't bother wiping them away. It was better to get them all out now rather than let Hazel and Jaelyn see me like this.

I got out of bed, even though pain seethed up my body. I didn't care. The physical pain would get away from the pain going on inside my head.

Limping, I grabbed anything I could get my hands on; the pole that held the liquids sticking into my arms, even though when I threw it across the room, the needles pulled out of my arms, causing me to bleed even more, I threw the sheets to the floor, I pulled down the curtains and the curtain rod, there were books on a shelf in the back of the room and, limping to them as pain seared up my legs, I grabbed every single book and flung them across the room.

After minutes of throwing things around, I felt my feet slide across a liquid that had spilled onto the floor from the the pole, and my legs gave out under me. I slipped and fell, sprawling out onto the floor. From what I could tell, the liquid was just water.

As my body hit the floor, I let out a half-sob, half-scream, and I sounded like an animal.

But I didn't care. It didn't matter.

Nothing mattered anymore.

The tears wouldn't stop as they fell down my face, and soon I ran out of them.

I don't know how long it was until I fell asleep, or how long I slept for, but I was soon being awoken by doctors prodding me awake, shining flashlights in my eyes, asking me if I was okay and what happened. They put me back in the hospital bed.

When they asked Hazel and Jaelyn what happened, they only shook their heads. They had no clue.

But I could see Hazel looking at me, fear in her eyes.

"He has that look again," she said quietly to no one in particular. "The one he got when he found out his mom died."

I didn't move.

It was then that I realized it.

Percy Jackson had broken me.

Percy Jackson caused me to feel like an imbecile, Percy Jackson had caused me to kiss him and for himself to kiss me back, Percy Jackson caused me to have to spend the rest of my life questioning myself, questioning him.

Percy Jackson caused me to love him.

And I hated him for it.

When the doctors had cleared me and said it was okay for me to go home, they gave me the wheelchair and crutches and Jaelyn wheeled me out of the hospital, into the car.

I just sat there as she drove me home, not saying anything. I stared out the window, watching the world whiz by in a blur, not focusing on anything.

As we arrived home, Jaelyn and Hazel both helped me out of the car with my crutches and up the steps.

"We're going to have to make everything wheelchair accessible," she muttered.

"You don't have to," I said. "I can make do with the crutches, it's no big deal."

"Nico, no, your side is still injured. You could get hurt again," Hazel said. "It's better to just use the wheelchair, okay?"

I looked at her.

"I'll use the wheelchair at school, then," I said. "Agreed?" She nodded.

Jaelyn unlocked the door to the house and I hopped inside on my crutches. I sighed, breathing in the familiar smell of our house. It was nice to finally get away from the sickly hospital smell.

As I slowly made my way up the stairs and into the upstairs hallway, with Jaelyn and Hazel right behind me, I told them I was tired and wanted to lie down. They didn't protest and I entered my room, locking the door behind me.

I put the crutches against the night table next to my bed. Surprisingly, my phone was lying face down on the table, charging. I grabbed it and picked it up.

I had several text messages and when I looked to see who it was, I groaned.

**Percy: **Nico, I'm sorry

**Percy:** God, please just let me explain

**Percy:** I never meant to hurt you, Nico, I swear

**Percy:** Nico, _please_, I can't live knowing you hate me

**Percy:** How can I make it up to you?

**Percy: **Please, I need to know how I can fix all of this

I sighed and replied to his texts.

**Me:** You can't Jackson

**Me:** You've permanently screwed things up with us

**Percy:** Nico, I'm begging you, tell me how to fix this

**Me:** Don't you get it? You can't fix this, Jackson, not this time. Sorry isn't going to cut it. You _hurt _me, Percy. Do you know what that feels like?

**Percy:** I can't just stop being your friend

**Me:** Well, it looks like you'll have to, because I can't even think about you without what you did blowing up in my face

He didn't respond, so I put my phone down next to me on the bed, only to have it buzz again a few minutes later.

**Percy:** Fine

I stared at my phone as my eyes welled up with tears that would never fall.

Furiously wiping them away, I threw my phone onto the carpeted floor and heard it hit with a satisfying thud.

I knew he wouldn't be texting me anymore, and he was smart enough to know not to.

With hatred and sadness grasping at my heart, I fell asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**Do you guys hate me yet lolol**

**Sorry about the last chapter, a few sentences got cut off at the end**

**Not really sure how that happened**

**ALSO**

**A friendly reminder that the poll I currently have open WILL BE OPEN FOREVER**

**"forever" meaning until I remember to take it down ;_;**

**So go vote for your favorite PJO characters in my freaking pole you nerds**

**xoxo -Sarah**

_**~Percy's POV~**_

The next morning, I drove Annabeth and myself to school in my blue 1960 restored classic Chevy Impala. I kept my phone balanced on my lap, hoping that by some miracle Nico would text me.

But he didn't.

As we drove into the school parking lot, I parked my car and started open the door.

I didn't get far because Annabeth stopped me.  
>"Percy," she said, placing her hand on my arm. "Are you okay?"<p>

I looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay," I said.

She sighed. "You know, you can tell me stuff, right?" she said. "I'm your little sister. I may annoy you all the time, but I'm there for you."

I gave her a sad smile. "Thanks, Annabeth."

I got of the my car and hurried inside ahead of her. I didn't bother looking for Nico; I already knew where he was.

As I walked past, Blake's friends were in a circle around Nico. I could see he was on his feet, struggling to stand up. Hazel was there, too. Usually they back down when she arrives.

This time they didn't.

I saw that one of them had a wheelchair in his hands. Nico would have fallen if it wasn't for Hazel, who was having a hard time keeping her brother on his feet.

I didn't see any more of it because I ran inside the school.

God, I hoped Nico didn't see me just standing there and watching as he got hurt even more. I knew that if he did, he would hate me for sure.

I had about twenty minutes before the bell rang, and I went to Mr. Denzel's room.

He was there, talking to a few students.

"Uh, Mr. Denzel?" I asked, interrupting him.

"Can I help you, Percy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Can I talk to you?" I said. "In private?"

He gave me a look but then nodded. He cleared the room and locked the door so it was only him and I.

"What is it, Mr. Jackson?" he asked me, crossing his arms over his chest.

I looked at him and opened my mouth, but no words came out. I hung my head, ashamed that I couldn't even tell him.

"Percy, what is it?" he asked again. "Did something happen? Is everything okay with Nico?"

At the sound of his name, I burst into tears.

"Mr. Denzel, I can't do it anymore," I said, tears pouring down my face. "I can't be near Nico, it's too hard for me and he hates me so much. I...I hate feeling this way about him, and I can't _take it anymore_!"

I sobbed into my hands, feeling my body shaking.

"Alright, Percy, son. Calm down, now," he said to me. I felt his hand on my back. "It'll be okay, son, don't worry."

As I composed myself, I wiped my face on my shirt, which was probably red from crying.

"What am I gonna do, Mr. Denzel?" I asked him.

He sighed. "The earliest I can switch your schedule back is tomorrow. You'll have to fight through today. Do you think you can do that?"

I nodded. "I'll have to see him every period," I said. "Every single period."

"Percy, if you need to, you can go home. I can explain everything to the principal, if you'd like," he said.

"No," I said. "He'll know that I'm being a coward. He'll know that I'm missing school because of him if I do."

Denzel nodded. "Well, class is about to start. I'll have to let the other kids in here at some point," he said. I went and sat down at my seat in the back of the class.

As everyone piled into the classroom, I looked down at my desk. My heart sped up as I saw two wheels enter the room and stop right at the desk next to mine.

I could see him from the corner of my eyes.

Nico was a wreck.

He had dark circles under his eyes, which were much more prominent than they usually were. His eyes were red and puffy, and it looked like he had been crying. Dark strands of hair fell down across his face, casting a shadow that shielded him from the rest of the world. His skin looked paler than it usually did, too, causing him to look almost like a ghost.

He wasn't looking at me. Of course he wasn't. He was resting his hand on his chin, glancing up at the front of the classroom.

Averting my eyes, I decided to actually pay attention to what Denzel was saying for once.

Nico was let out of class early because of his condition. When the class ended, Denzel didn't make me stay after class, so I took my time going to second period.

Walking with my head down, I was almost at the door of my next class when I bumped right into Nico in his wheelchair.

I stumbled back, bracing myself. He sat defensively in the chair, his arms on the wheels ready to wheel away.

"Wait," I said, reaching my arm out as if to touch him. But I didn't and pulled my hand away.

He stared at me, his dark eyes almost pleading.

"What do you want?" he asked me.

"I…" I started. But what was I going to say? 'Sorry that I kissed back after you kissed me

and basically ditched your ass you even though I really love you and want to be with you'? Yeah, I

don't think so.

"You can't even talk to me," Nico said. He glared at me. "Just leave me alone, Percy."

He wheeled into the classroom and I was left there, defenseless, heartbroken.

How could I even begin to ask for his forgiveness? After what I did?

I know I wouldn't forgive him if he did that to me.

Or would I?

It was _Nico_, for God's sake. I never believed in love at first sight until now.

But maybe love at first sight wasn't supposed to last.

Or was it?

_No_, I thought. _No, I'm going to get him back. I will get Nico Di Angelo back. _

_At whatever cost. _


	15. Chapter 15

**This chapter is a little long sorry ;_;**

**Also**

**The next chapter is going to have minor smut**

**IT'LL BE MINOR I SWEAR**

**I'm looking forward to your guys' comments on it tbqh lol**

**Remember to vote in the poll I have up in my bio 3**

**xoxo -Sarah**

_**~Nico's POV~**_

When lunch began, I got let out of sixth period early. Just like every class.

God, I didn't want attention drawn to myself. I _hated_ attention. Honestly, if I could just not go to school, that would be the best thing in the world.

Anyways, Hazel met me at the cafeteria during lunch. I just kind of sat there the entire period.

Hazel and Annabeth both were trying to get me to eat, but I just pushed all the food they shoved at me away. I wasn't hungry at all. In fact, I'd probably lost some weight, even though I was so skinny already.

About halfway through the lunch period, the group of soccer jocks that sat about two tables away from us started to throw food at me. Bags of chips came flying at my face, packs of unopened pudding that splattered onto the ground after hitting my face. I even got hit with a sandwich on the back of my head.

Tired of their constant jibes towards me and the flying food, I wheeled myself out of the cafeteria and into the hallway.

But before I did, I turned to look at all of them.

I knew Percy would be there.

And sure enough, he was. Staring at his lunch, not participating in anything his friends were doing to me.

Of course he wasn't. He was too scared to face me, too fucking scared.

As I wheeled down the hallway, Hazel and Annabeth came running up behind me.

"Nico?" Hazel asked me. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head. "I'm asking Jaelyn if she can come pick me up. I can't take being here anymore," I said.

"Nico," she said gently. "Is this about Percy?"

I didn't look up at her.

"You know, Nico," I heard Annabeth say. "He cried all last night in his room. I could hear him."

"He told you?" I asked, facing her.

"Some of it," she said. "Not all the details."

"He hurt me," I whispered.

"He hurt himself, too," Hazel said. "You're both hurting right now, Nico. Maybe you should try talking to him. I'm sure he's willing to listen to what you have to say."

"Okay," I said, defeated. She knelt down next to me and gave me a big hug.

"You'll be okay, big 'bro," she said. "You've been through more shit now than most people will go through their entire lives. You can pull through a little guy trouble."

"So," I said. "You're okay with me being...gay?"

"Of course I am," she said. She smiled. "It doesn't change who you are. You're still my brother, Nico."

I nodded.

As soon as Jaelyn arrived, Hazel helped me into her car and I said goodbye to her.

"What happened at school?" Jaelyn asked me as I sat in the passengers seat.

"Nothing," I lied. "I just didn't feel good."

She nodded, obviously knowing that I was lying. But she wasn't one to push for information.

"Jaelyn?" I asked her as we pulled into our driveway. She looked at me. "Is it okay if I have a friend over later?"

She smiled.

"Of course," she said. "I can't wait to meet them."

"He's tutoring me in math," I said. "So…"

"He?" she asked quizzically.

I nodded. "Yeah. He's just a friend," I said.

She turned her gaze away from me. "I hope so," she muttered. At least I think that's what she said, but I wasn't sure.

I pushed the thought away and thought about what I was going to do later.

Yeah, I was actually going to listen to Hazel for once and try talking to Percy. I thought that maybe tutoring me in math might help with the tension between us.

But what if he didn't want to see or talk to me? What if he said no? Maybe he already blocked my number on his phone or deleted me.

Jaelyn helped me up the steps into my room. As soon as she left, I frantically grabbed my phone and clicked on his contact information.

I typed up his name and held my hand over the send button.

Was I really going through with this?

I pressed send and sighed.

Goddamnit.

But I soon felt my phone buzz within a minute and quickly checked it.

**Percy**: Yeah..?

**Me**: I was wondering if you wanted to come over after school and tutor me a little bit…

**Percy**: Oh…

**Me**: You don't have to it's fine

**Percy**: No, I can, I just have to stop at home first

**Me**: Yeah, no problem, you did kind of looked like a wreck at school today

**Percy**: Same to you, ghost boy

**Me**: Ghost boy?

**Percy**: Nickname

I laughed to myself.

How were we making up this quickly?

I thought of Percy, then. How his hair fell perfectly across his face, how his sea-green eyes sparkled when he was happy, how his teeth flashed pearly white when he smiled, or how when he grinned his mouth curved upwards.

I thought of his lips, too.

Oh God, his lips.

It was like I could still feel them against mine, taste their saltiness, feel the heat radiating off of his body as he crashed into me, cupping my face in his hands, kissing me back as if I was the only other person in the world, as if he _wanted_ me.

I closed my eyes and cherished the thoughts. Only because I knew that it would never happen again.

I picked up my phone.

**Me**: Well hurry up and get your ass over here, I'm bored as fuck

**Percy**: Impatient, aren't we?

**Me**: Yeah, yeah

**Percy**: Well, I'll be over in an hour, don't go anywhere ;)

I blinked a few times.

Did Percy Jackson just send me a winky face?

**Me**: Did you just send me a winky face, Jackson

**Percy**: Uh

**Me**: What are you implying, Percy

**Percy**: Nothing! I swear oh God it wasn't like that

**Me**: SURE JACKSON SURE

**Percy**: I swear Nico, it's not like that

**Me**: Aight, aight, I believe you, just hurry up you slob

**Percy**: I'll be there soon, brat

I waited an hour and sure enough, Percy was actually on time. I didn't feel like getting out of bed, so I had Jaelyn let him in. He walked into my room and I perked up a bit.

"Hey," he said. He gave me a soft smile and dropped his backpack next to my bed.

"Hey," I replied back. He sat on the edge of my bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me.

"I'm, uh, okay, I guess," I said.

"Look," he started but I cut him off.

"You don't have to apologize, Percy," I said. "I get it. You don't feel the same towards me. I totally get it. I just...I don't like being mad at you, so can we at least try being friends?"

He stared at me and then nodded slightly.

"So…" he said. "What do you want to work on first?"

"Let's start on some basic equations," I said. He agreed with me.

And that's how I spent my afternoon.

With Percy Jackson.

On my bed.

Studying.

Trying not to think about the feeling of his lips against mine.


	16. Chapter 16

**MINOR SMUT ALERT**

**If you don't like smut don't read it okay**

**Btw**

**I thought of an ending**

**You guys are going to hate me by the end of this story**

**That's all I have to say ;_;**

**xoxo -Sarah**

_**~Percy's POV~**_

"Okay, so…" Nico said, writing on a piece of paper that he had on a binder balanced on his leg. "So you just subtract the change in Y over the change in X and then divide?"

I nodded at him and leaned over his paper.

"Yeah, exactly," I said, smiling. "You got it, man!"

He looked up at me and gave a small smile.

Shit.

I turned away from him.

"Percy? You okay?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yep, I'm good," I lied. I turned back to him, trying not to stare at his perfect face; those dark puppy eyes, his grin when he was happy, the way his eyebrows curled together when he was concentrating, or the tip of his tongue slightly hanging from his mouth as he sat here, next to me on his bed, doing math equations when we could be here _kissing_ and doing so much more other than math equations.

But here we were.

Doing fucking math equations.

"Look, Nico…" I started.

"Percy," he said. "You don't have to keep apologizing. I get it, okay? Really, I do. It's fine. I'm okay." He smiled at me.

"But-,"

"No," he said. "Percy, I said no."

I grimaced at him.

He shook his head at me and sighed.

"Nico-,"

"Goddamnit, Percy, I said-,"

"No, you shut up, Nico, I like you, I fucking like you, okay?" I could feel heat rise to my face as Nico stared at me, his mouth slightly open. I looked away embarrassed.

"Then...what happened in the hospital…" he trailed off.

"Yes, Nico, it was real," I said. "It was all real, I shouldn't have pulled away, I should have just told you from the start,"

"Then why didn't you?" he asked me, his voice quiet.

"I was scared," I said. "I wasn't sure at first. I thought it was just a phase, that I was confused. I didn't know what people would think of me. And...you're younger than me."

"I get it," he said. "Not knowing what people will think of you if you tell them."

"Yeah," I said. I rubbed the back of my neck. "The guys on the soccer team would shun me."

"Then...maybe they don't have to know," he said. I glanced at him. "You don't have to come out yet. Whenever you're ready. Take it slow if you need to, and if that means we can't be in a relationship for a while, then so be it."

"But I want to be in a relationship with you _now_," I said softly.

"Percy," he said. "I can wait."

"But I can't, you idiot," I said.

And then I did it.

I leaned forward, fast, pressing my lips to his, my warm ones crashing into the coldness of his. It wasn't one of those tongue-down-the-throat kinds of kisses, it was soft, passionate. His hand found mine and I gripped it tight. We just sat there, on Nico's bed, our lips pressed together, unmoving, that simple kiss telling everything it needed to. All the hate, all the fighting we'd done the past few days. it all vanished. Right then and there as our lips gently touched, fitting perfectly against each other's.

Nico pulled away gently after a long time and leaned his forehead against mine.

"I've been waiting for that," he said quietly.

"Me too."

God fucking damnit.

I leaned in again, this time fast and hard, crashing my lips into his. One of my hands groped its way under his shirt, past the bandages on his side, and up to the square of his chest. I could feel his heartbeat and it only made me crave more, more of this, more of _him_.

His breathing sped up and so did mine, and soon we were a tangle of wandering hands, soft lips like velvet against each other, and heavy breathing all combined into one.

Both of Nico's hands snaked their way around to my back and under my shirt. His nails were slightly dug into the skin of my back and I moaned against his lips. He only kissed me back, harder this time, and I was surprised that such a small guy could be so strong and ferocious.

My tongue found the inside of his mouth I and decided to explore every curve, every ridge. I could feel every bump on the inside of his cheeks from where he'd bitten them, probably out of nervousness. I could feel the peeling skin from his lips, too, also probably bitten out of nervousness. I let my tongue trail further into his mouth until it found his, where we then battled for dominance.

In the end, he won.  
>After he'd pushed his tongue from his own mouth and past my lips, he pushed me down onto his bed, straddling my waist with his knees. It was a bit awkward, since he was probably in a lot of pain from the faces he was making, but he didn't let up. He leaned down, his black shaggy hair falling into his eyes, and slowly kissed my neck. I wrapped my arms around his back and held him there, not letting him go. But I was careful not to hurt him. I didn't want to ruin the moment.<p>

"Didn't think I could hold my own, did you…?" he asked softly as he nibbled at the curve of

my collarbones.

"I didn't think you were so dominant," I said quietly. "Goddamnit, I'm older _and_ twice your size, I should be on top."

"On top?" he asked. He pulled back and looked me in the eyes, a devilish grin on his face.

My face burned bright red.

"You know what I mean," I said sheepishly.

"I know," he said, leaning down to kiss me lightly.

"You know, we're _supposed_ to be doing math," I said.

"Mm." He pondered for a moment and then kissed me again. "True, but this is so much more fun." I smiled at him.

"You don't think Jaelyn heard us, do you?" I asked. I sat up and he got off of me.

"Even if she did, she wouldn't say anything," he said, fixing his hair with his hands. "She's not that type of person to dwell on things that much."  
>"Also, question," I said. Nico looked at me. "How exactly did you manage to pull that off without screaming in pain?"<p>

"Oh, I was in pain," he said. "But, the painkillers are helping. Plus, doing that took my mind off of it. So."

"Ah," I said. Nico had a bathroom in his room and I went into it and looked at myself in the mirror. Everything was okay, except the fact that my hair was all messed up.

And there was a huge fucking hickey on the side of my neck.

"Shit," I muttered. "Nico, man, what'd you do that for?"

Nico limped into the bathroom and I leaned down so he could look at it. He started to laugh.

"Oh, God, I'm _so_ sorry," he said. "Just use some of Hazel's makeup to cover it up."

"Is she home?" I asked him.

"Should be," NIco said. He left his room, still limping, and went to go get Hazel. A few minutes later, he came back into the room with Hazel by his side, who looked rather uncomfortable as she carried a small bag of makeup.

"So, what am I doing?" she asked.  
>"Uh, covering up a spot on my neck," I said. She instructed me to sit on the bed and I did. She sat next to my and pulled down my shirt at my collar.<p>

"Is that...a hickey?" she asked, looking up at her brother.

"No," Nico said.

"Don't lie. I could hear you guys through the walls."

His face turned bright red and he turned away.

"Just fix it already," he said.

Hazel rolled her eyes and took out a bunch of makeup from her little bag. She put some skin-colored stuff where the hickey was and she finished quickly.

"There," she said. "This isn't going to last, you know."

"Yeah, I know, but it'll let me sneak past my mom," I said. "I can probably just use some of Annabeth's makeup."

"Better hope no one at school sees it," Hazel said. She gathered up her things. "You're welcome, by the way." And with that, she left the room.

When she left, Nico stood there, his hands in his pockets.

"You okay to walk?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Not really. Would you hand me my crutches?"

I did as he asked and we went into the hallway.

"Oh," he said as we came to the top of the stairs. "I uh...can't exactly go down these…"

"No problem," I said. I smiled at him and scooped him up into my arms, bridal style.

"Percy!" he yelled, holding onto his crutches. "Percy Jackson, you put me down right now! I will not be defaced by you!"

"Alright, alright," I said. I put him down when we reached the bottom of the stairs. His face was flustered and angry. "You're cute when you're pissed."

"Get used to it," he huffed. I smiled. "So...what happens after this?"

My smile faltered and I stared at the floor.

"I don't know," I said. "I don't want to go back to being just friends."

"I don't either," Nico said. He ran his hand through his hair. "Maybe...we can just keep it between us."

"No," I said. "Because you and I both know that I'll just end up being a dick to you at school, and I can't handle that."

"If it means I can be with you still, then I'll do it," he said quietly.

I moved closer to him and cupped his face in between my hands.

"No," I said again. "I want to be with you, Nico. I don't...I don't want to be ashamed of who I am. I want to go out with you in public and hold your hand at school, I don't want anyone to tell me otherwise. And I sure as hell don't want some assholes that beat up my boyfriend tell me who I can and can't be with."

"Boyfriend…?" he whispered. I gave a small nod and lightly pressed my lips to his, lifting him up into my arms a little so he wasn't in as much pain.

"I probably should go," I said quietly after we pulled apart. "It's getting late." Nico only nodded.

After much protest, I carried him back up to his room and gathered up my things.

"Will you text me?" he asked me as I was about to leave the room, his big, brown eyes staring up at mine.

"Of course," I said. I smiled. "I'll see you later, babe."

I left the room, cursing to myself.

Babe?

That was so fucking cheesy, Percy, good job.

As I was about to leave, Jaelyn stopped me at the doorway, grabbing my bicep.

"It was nice having you over," she said coldly. I stared at her. She looked at me as though she was angry with me. She then squeezed my arm.

I shuddered, and exited the house quickly, thinking of what Nico thought of our little make-out session.


	17. Chapter 17

**So what did you guys think about that last chapter ;3**

**Also**

**This chapter has some topics that some people may not want to read, as in discriminating against sexual orientation, so if you don't want to read that kind of stuff, then I'd be careful reading this a bit**

**I just want you guys to know that I'm here if any of you need to talk about anything of the sort, because I know the topic can be kind of tender**

**You're all also lovely and beautiful and I love you all so much *insert lots of hearts here***

**Yay for internet hugs! *hugs everyone***

**xoxo -Sarah**

**~Nico's POV~**

I laid down on my bed with the covers pulled up to my waist, staring at my phone intently, waiting for something from Percy.

There was a knock at my door.

"Yeah?" I called out to whoever it was.

"Nico, hey," Jaelyn said. I stared at her. She came and sat on the edge of my bed. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

"Are you sure?" she asked. I looked at her suspiciously and she then placed a hand on my forehead.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, pushing her hand away. "I'm not sick or anything, I told you, I'm fine."

She sighed. "I know you're sick."

"Jaelyn, what are you talking about?"

She looked at me, tears in her eyes.

"I know you're sick because I heard you doing things...with Percy," she said, spitting out Percy's name like it was venom against her tongue.

I sat up in bed quickly, inching away from her.

"Oh my _God_," I said quietly.

"Nico, baby, please," she said, reaching a hand out towards me. "We can fix you. You can be normal again, I know it."

"_Don't fucking touch me!_" I screamed at her, causing her hand to withdraw.

"What the hell is going on?" Hazel said, appearing in the doorway.

"I'm not some piece of broken material that you can just _fix_, Jaelyn!" I shouted. "You can't fucking change me! It's not a fucking choice!"

"Mom, what is he talking about?" Hazel asked, her voice quavering.

"Hazel, did you know about this?" Jaelyn asked Hazel, turning on her. "Did you know that he's in love with another _boy_?"

"Mom, I-,"

"So you _did _know," Jaelyn yelled.

"Of course I knew," Hazel snapped. "He's my brother. Being gay doesn't change the situation at all."

"It's so _wrong_," Jaelyn spat. "Him being in love with another boy. God created this world for it to be decent, so men could fall in love with women. Not some _abomination_ that _he_ is."

I had heard enough.

"I'm leaving," I said, getting out of bed abruptly.

"And where will you go?" Jaelyn asked. "To _him_? To Percy?"

"Yeah," I said. I grabbed my phone and put on my leather jacket. "That's exactly where I'll go."

"You can hardly walk. You won't even make it to the next block," Jaelyn said.

"I'd rather deal with the physical pain than stay around this house and have you lecture me on how much of an _abomination _I am," I said coldly.

As I left the room, I could hear Jaelyn yelling at Hazel.

"Now look at what you've done!" Hazel's voice pierced the echoing hallway. "You drove your only fucking son away!"

"You watch your tongue, young lady, or I'll-,"

"Or you'll what, mom, you'll _what_?!"

There was a sharp crack, like a branch being broken, and then a whimpering cry. I turned around to see Hazel staggering out of my room, holding the side of her face. Jaelyn was behind her, and I rushed down the stairs, Hazel at my heels. I reached the kitchen and grabbed the closest knife I could find.

Jaelyn stopped dead in her tracks.

"I never thought I'd have to use this against you," I said. "When only a few weeks ago I used it to save you."

"Nico," Jaelyn said, her voice dangerously calm. "Put the knife down."

"Don't you _ever_ touch me or my sister again," I said angrily. "Get out of my way."

I gestured with the knife to the left side of the room and Jaelyn did as I asked. With one arm protectively wrapped around Hazel's shoulders, I guided her to the front door, still facing Jaelyn. Hazel opened the front door and we both exited, closing it behind us.

Then we ran.

Or rather, Hazel ran as I limped as fast as I could behind her.

"Nico," Hazel said breathlessly in front of him. "It's only two more blocks. Can you make it?"

"Yeah," I replied, trying to catch my breath in my lungs. Hazel glanced back at me warily.

I realized that I was still holding the knife in my hand. We rounded a corner and I ditched it in a bush.

Not like Jaelyn doesn't have more knives at her house.

When we reached the street that Percy's house was on, his house was the only one with lights still on. I didn't realize how late it was. I checked my phone; almost 12am.

Hazel and I ran up to the front door, and with what little strength I had, I pounded my fist repeatedly on the door.

Percy answered, in only his boxers and socks.

"What the hell?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "Nico?" He stared at me as his eyes focused. "What are you two doing here?"

"I…" I felt my head getting dizzy, and before I knew it, my face connected with the floor.

"Shit!" Percy's distant voice echoed in my brain. I was only half aware of what was happening around me.

Percy's mom and Annabeth came downstairs. I was lifted into the air, probably by Percy, and set down somewhere soft in his house.

I could only hear some of what they were all talking about beside me.

"Jaelyn...not accepting...had to leave…"

"He ran here...doesn't look good…"

"Why...you text or call...just show up…"

"Percy...bandages...bleeding badly…"

There was a sharp pain in my side, and I could hear myself cry out. My eyes fluttered open and Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, and Percy's mom were all sitting around me.

"Nico?" Percy's mom said to me. "Nico, can you hear me?"

I nodded slightly.

"Nico, this might hurt," she said. "Like, a lot."

"Oh, great," I mumbled, still not fully aware of what was happening.

Suddenly, there was a tremendous amount of searing pain that shot up into my side like the tongues of fire licking at my skin. I held in my scream, and the pain ended as quickly as it came.

"Nico," a gentle voice whispered. "It's okay, it's okay…"

I opened my eyes to find myself shirtless, Percy hugging me. I looked down to see that I had new bandages covering my side.

"Nico? Sweetheart? Can you hear me?" I turned my eyes to see Percy's mom checking my bandages.

"Yeah," I managed to say.

"You blanked out right at the door," Percy whispered into my ear. He pulled back to look at my face. "Why are you here?"

I sat up slightly and turned to Hazel. We explained everything to them, including what Jaelyn had done to Hazel and how we got to be at Percy's house.

"She doesn't...accept it?" Percy asked me. I shook my head.

"She said you and I were abominations to the world," I said.

"You're gay?" Percy's mom asked him.

Shit. What did I just do?

"Mom, I-,"

"Oh, Percy!" she said, wrapping him in a tight hug. "I'm happy for you, baby."

Percy looked stunned.

"Thanks, mom," he muttered.

"Nico," Percy's mom said gently. "I know this is a tough topic to talk about. Why don't all of you get some sleep? You don't have to go to school tomorrow. We'll talk about it in the morning."

Annabeth led Hazel upstairs to her room. Percy's mom helped me upstairs into Percy's room. She went and got a cot and some blankets for me to sleep on.

"You can sleep in here for the night," she said to me. "And boys? No funny business either."

Smiling, she closed the door to Percy's room.

"Your mom is really nice," I said. I got up from the cot and sat on Percy's bed. He looked at me.

"You heard what she said, no funny business," Percy replied. I raised an eyebrow at him and he only smiled, kissing me gently. "You're not going to sleep on the cot, I presume?"

"What do you think?" I asked him. I took off my leather jacket and shoes and got under the covers of his bed. He turned off the lamp on the table next to the bed and we were surrounded in total darkness.

He then proceeded to wrap his arms around me, pulling my head against his bare chest. I could hear his heartbeat under his skin. He kissed the top of my head and that only made me press my body closer to his. Heat radiated off of his body, making me feel all giddy on the inside.

"Percy…?" I called softly to him.

"Mm…?" he replied, drowsiness palpable in his voice.

"I'm sorry," I said.

Percy sat up and turned on the bed lamp.

"You don't have to be sorry," he said to me. "None of this is your fault."

"But it is my fault," I said. "I feel so guilty that you're taking care of me. I...I should have just stayed at my house and dealt with Jaelyn on my own."

"No," Percy said. He frowned at me. "What Jaelyn did and said was wrong. I don't blame you and Hazel for wanting to get out of the situation."

"She's all I have," I said. "Her and Hazel. They're my only family."

And then I started to cry.

Tears rolled down my face in tiny crystal droplets. Percy held me tightly and let me sob into his shoulder, making his skin wet.

"Nico, shh…" he said soothingly. "It'll be okay, everything will be okay. You still have Hazel, and you have Annabeth, too."

"And you," I cried out softly.

"And me," Percy said. He stroked my hair and continued to shush me until I was calm enough to go to sleep. "Try and get at least a little bit of sleep, okay, babe? I'll be right here if you need anything."

I nodded slightly and he turned off the light again.

I was so exhausted from everything that had happened that I fell asleep within minutes.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys!**

**So, sorry this took a long time to update, I've been super busy and haven't had time to write lol**

**TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY**

**15 years young, go meeee**

**Aaaaand I'm also sorry about the slight cliffhanger on this one, but I think most of you guys can sort of guess what will happen next**

**Possibly**

**ALSO: I'm sort of experimenting with the whole 'smut' thing, so if anyone has some pointers or tips they want to share, feel free to message me :D**

**So yeah, have fun**

**xoxo -Sarah**

_**~Percy's POV~**_

Nico's sleeping figure was pressed against mine. He fell asleep with his head against my chest and my arms around him. I didn't fall asleep for a long time after he did. I was too mesmerized by the features of his face as he slept.

It took me back to that night in the hospital, before I kissed him. It was then that I realized I loved him.

But too many harsh memories came flooding back into my mind, so I pushed the thought away and focused on the moment, right here and now.

Before I knew it, I was being woken up by my mom tapping my shoulder. She didn't say anything about Nico sleeping next to me, and I'm glad she didn't.

"Is he still asleep?" she whispered to me. I nodded once, and she nodded back, closing the door behind her as she left.

Small amounts of light poured into the room, coming from under the door and behind the blinds. I could see Nico better now that I wasn't in the dark.

I leaned down and gently pressed my lips against his forehead. He stirred slightly, and soon his chocolate brown eyes met mine.

"Morning, sleepy head," I said quietly to him. He yawned and I released him from my arms.

"What time is it?" he asked in a sleepy voice. He rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"Don't worry about it," I said. I moved so my torso was in front of him and kissed him on the lips. I could feel him smile as I kissed him, and he wrapped his arms around my neck.

"Ahem." A voice behind us cleared its throat.

I climbed off of Nico and got off of my bed. Hazel and Annabeth were standing in the doorway.

I walked over to my dresser and pulled on a blue t-shirt.

"Are you guys going to eat breakfast, or can we have your portions?" Hazel asked, grinning. I scoffed.

"Don't touch my food," I said. They both laughed.

Nico walked down the stairs by himself. It seemed like he was recovering fast from the shooting, and I was glad that my little prince was going to be back on his feet in no time.

As we sat down at the dinner table, my mom put a load of food in front of our faces. She'd always loved to cook, and this morning she had made us bacon and eggs, pancakes, and sausage. We all scarfed it down.

When we finished, my mom gathered us into the living room. I sat on the couch next to Nico, one arm wrapped protectively around his shoulders, and Hazel sat next to Annabeth on a smaller couch. My mom was in a small recliner, leaning forward, looking at Hazel and Nico.

"I want to know what you guys want to do," she said. "I know this is a tough situation for both of you, especially you, Nico."

"I don't think she'll change her mind," Hazel said quietly. "She's stubborn like that."

"She's my adoptive mother," Nico said, looking down at his hands. "She might decide that she doesn't want me anymore."

"If it really comes down to that," my mom said slowly. "I would be willing to take you in."

We all looked up at her.

"Mom, you're not joking, are you?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "If you really have no other place to go, Nico, I would let you stay here with us."

Nico smiled a little at my mom.

"Thank you, Mrs. Jackson," he said.

"Please, dear, call me Sally," my mom replied.

"Thank you, Sally," he repeated.

My insides filled up with joy.

It wasn't as if I wanted Nico's mom to ditch him and throw him out on the streets. What she did and said to Nico and Hazel was equally wrong. But if she _did_...the thought of Nico living here, with _me_, it made the entire problem seem so much simpler.

"I was also wondering if you two wanted me to talk to your mom," my mom said. "It may not be the best idea, since Percy is the one she has problems with, but it's worth a shot. Are you guys okay with me doing that?"

"You can try," Hazel said.

"I'll try as best as I can," my mom replied. "No one should feel how Nico is feeling. Jaelyn is your mother, even if she is your adoptive mother, she should love you and care for you, gay or not. It makes no difference."

I squeezed Nico's shoulder and he leaned into me.

"I'm going to go out for a few hours," my mom said.

"Hazel and I are going to go see a movie, mom," Annabeth said. "Can you drop us off at the movie theaters?"

"Of course," my mom said. "Just let me get a few things first."

She ran upstairs for a few minutes and then came back down.

The three of them left the house, and it was just Nico and I.

Alone.


	19. Chapter 19

**This chapter has MINOR SMUT **

**Also, I've been lacking a lot of inspiration lately so you guys should comment what you want to happen next to Percy and Nico**

**If you do and I decide to take it on I'll credit your username in the chapter :D**

**So yeah**

**xoxo -Sarah**

_**~Nico's POV~**_

I was home alone.

With Percy Jackson.

Shit.

"So," Percy said. He got up from the couch and I followed suit.

"So…" I said awkwardly.

"They're all gone," he said.

"Yep."

"You want anything to drink or-"

"Shut up," I said, cutting him off.

"Excuse you," he replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Upstairs," I said, pointing to the staircase. "Now."

He gave me a mischievous grin and went up the stairs. I followed behind him and as soon as we reached his bedroom, he kicked his door shut and pushed me against the far wall.

"Careful," I said, making sure my eyes were dark.

He only smiled and kissed me, hard.

His hands groped their way down my chest and under my shirt where he then rubbed his thumb in slow circles across my skin. I shivered and he pulled me against him more, our bodies meshed together as one.

The kiss started off slightly slow, but sped up quickly, bringing full-on heat. My insides felt like I had a million butterflies in them.

I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling on his hair. He moaned into my mouth and I took the chance to bite his lip, gently at first and then gradually harder.

He shoved me against the wall harder and grabbed at my legs. I didn't know what else to do, so I let him pick me up and push me further against the wall. I wrapped both legs around his torso, and he put his hand on my ass, holding me up.

"Percy," I breathed.

"Go with it," he said, panting.

I didn't object.

We stayed there, against the wall, Percy squeezing my ass, on and off, and me kissing him intently, as if not wanting to let him go. Which I didn't.

After a while, Percy pulled away from the wall so I was in the air, clinging to him. I knew he wouldn't drop me.

But if he did, I'd kill him.

He laid me down onto the bed and I let myself sink into the mattress. We continued to kiss, and I didn't mind that. One of his hands cupped my face, while the other held him up so he wasn't crushing me.

His hand traveled to the hem of my shirt and in one swift movement, he'd pulled it off and over my head, my bare chest visible to his eyes. He smiled softly and removed his own as well. I pulled him down onto me so our skin was touching, his body was hot as fire against my own cold skin.

I grabbed at his back, slightly digging my nails into it, and he moaned into my mouth, giving me the chance to take a small breath before going back to kiss him.

I felt his hands move down to the hem of my jeans and fumble with the belt and zipper.

"Oh, no you don't," I muttered.

I moved my hands down to his belt and got it undone, and then to the button. My hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't undo it.

"Let me," he said quietly. I moved my hands away, letting them hover over his as he undid the button. He let me finish off the zipper and pulled his jeans off.

Percy Jackson was wearing Finding Nemo boxers.

I covered my mouth with my hand and held in a snicker. He glared at me and his face burned bright red.

"My mom got them for me, okay? Geez, don't make fun," he said sheepishly. I laughed.

"They're cute," I said.

"Yeah? Then let's see yours, Ghost King," he said to me. I rolled my eyes and let him get my black jeans off. His hands were delicate and gentle with his long fingers.

I totally forgot that I was wearing a pair of Ghost Busters boxers.

Shit.

Percy laughed.

"Shut up!" I said, blushing.  
>"No, no they're just cute, it's okay," he said, still laughing. I frowned.<p>

"Percyyy, don't make fun of meee…" I said, child-like. He stopped laughing and smiled at me, tilting my head upwards so he could kiss me.

"I've never seen this much of you before," he said. "Well, except for in the hospital, but that was different. And you're much better looking now."  
>I rolled my eyes again and turned my head towards the right wall, and my eyes landed on something on Percy's night table.<p>

"What the hell?" I said.

"What?"

I sat up a little, propping myself up on my elbows and Percy sat on the edge of the bed.

"Is that...is that a condom?" I asked. I reached over and picked up the little plastic packet on the table. "You've got to be kidding."

"Let me see," Percy said, snatching it out of my hands. He stared at it and then pulled back, mortified.

"Do you just keep these lying around your house, Jackson?" I asked.

"What? No! My mom must have put it there," he said. He threw it across the room.

"Hey! Maybe I wanted to use that!" I said, pouting.

Percy sighed. "Nico…I love you. I do, but I think maybe we should wait a while before… _that_. Okay?"

I nodded. I knew he was going to say that.

"Hey," he said gently. He cupped my face in his hands and I stared up at him. He leaned down and gave me a light kiss on my lips. "I love you."

"I know," I said quietly.

He smiled a little.

"Come on," he said. He pulled me off the bed. "Get dressed, we're going for a walk."

"Seriously?" I asked, looking at him.

"Yes, seriously," he said. He started to put on his clothes. I sighed and put mine back on, too. "Yeah, no. Nico, dude, you've been wearing the same clothes for like, two days. Wear something of mine."

"No way, Jackson," I said.

But he didn't listen, and we went on our little walk, him dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, and me wearing one of his black and white checkered button down shirts and a pair of his jeans, both three sizes too big.

He pulled me out of the house, but it was chilly out, so I grabbed my leather jacket.

"Here," Percy said. He ran to a closet near the front door and pulled out a dark grey beanie.

I stared at him, raising one eyebrow?

"Really?" I asked. He nodded furiously.

"Come on! You'll look so cute!" he said.

I groaned and he put the beanie in my hair. I could feel the end curl up around the edges of it on my head.

"If people didn't know I was gay, they sure as hell will now," I muttered.

"Hush," he said. He smiled and leaned down to kiss my gently. I smiled against his lips. "Come on."

He grabbed my hand in his, and pulled me out into the front porch. I shoved me other hand into my pocket.

Percy walked next to me, still clasping my hand, and took us downtown and into the city. There were cafes and little shops lining the street. We took our time walking. People stared, people sneered.

Did I care?

No.

They got to meet my middle finger, after all, and that pretty much shut them up.

I stopped in front of a little coffee shop and looked into the window.

"You want to go to Starbucks?" Percy asked me. I pulled my face away from the glass and looked at him.

"Who doesn't?" I said.

I dragged him into Starbucks. People lined the walls in little booths; couples, friends, there were even some people who were alone.

We walked up to the front counter together.

"Damnit," I said. I patted the front of Percy's jeans. "I don't have any money."

"Don't worry about it," he said. He pulled a wallet from his back pocket.

"I don't want you to pay for me," I said, scowling. He looked at me.

"Think of it as a gift," he said. "Accept it."

I scoffed.

Percy ordered a medium hot coffee with cream and sugar in it, and I got caramel frappuccino with whipped cream on top.

"Didn't know you were such a white girl," Percy said when he handed it to me.

"Shut up," I mumbled, walking over to a booth beside a window. He sat opposite of me and I took a sip of my frappuccino from the straw.

"So," Percy said. "I also forgot to mention. Your mom called mine last night."

"What?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "She just wanted to let my mom know that you had an appointment at the doctor's scheduled in a few days."

"Oh."

He nodded. "She still cares, you know."

"She hates me," I said quietly, staring down at my hands holding my drink. I could see Percy shake his head from the corner of my eye.

"She doesn't Nico," he said. "I think...that it just came as a shock to her, you know? Not everyone is going to be accepting of it at first."

"At first?" I said. I looked back up at him. "She never will be. Don't you understand that?"

"Alright, calm down," he said gently. His hand reached across the table and found mine, where he then proceeded to play with my fingers. "Maybe you should give her time. Try talking to her. Take her out to a public place where you'll be surrounded by people, and that way she can't do anything to hurt you."

I nodded.

"If I do, will you and Sally be there?" I asked. "Near, at least. Like, waiting in your car or something?"

"I'll ask my mom," he said. "Don't worry about this, okay babe? We'll get this sorted out. Jaelyn is your mom, and even though she's not related to you, she's raised you for more than half of your life. She loves you no matter what."

"Thank you, Percy," I said. "For everything you've done for me these past few days."

He smiled at me, one of his classical, flashy, lopsided smiles.

I leaned across the table and kissed him for a brief moment before pulling away.

"You want to go back home?" he asked me. "I'm sure everyone is back by now."

"Home," I repeated. "I could definitely get used to that."

We got up from the table and I locked my hand with Percy's, the coldness of my skin clashing with the fiery warmth of his.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey look at that, I'm not dead!**

**Yeah I'm a horrible person I haven't updated in like 2 weeks**

**So sorry that this took forever to update, I've been busy as usual -_-**

**Annnddd I apologize for this stupid cliff hanger, I won't update for another week probably**

**Sigh**

**xoxo -Sarah**

_**~Percy's POV~**_

As we got back to my house, the sun was starting to set. Nico and I had walked around town for a while, going into shops. I bought him his own beanie, a nice teal-blue color that he picked out himself. It wasn't, surprisingly, black. When he put it on, it stood out from his dark hair and eyes, but it gave his face more color.

I unlocked the door to my house and went inside. There were no shoes at the doorway, which meant the no one was home yet.

Nico and I both kicked our shoes off and hung up our coats.

"Thank God," Nico said. "Now I can get out of this shirt."

"What, you don't like it?" I asked him, walking into the kitchen.

"No. It's been itching me all day, and it's way too big," he said. I got to the counter and leaned against it.

"Sit," I said. I patted the counter with my hand.

"What?" he asked, looking at me.

"I said, sit." Nico slowly came over to where I was standing and lifted himself up so he was sitting on the countertop, his feet dangling over the side. "I think I can help with your little shirt dilemma," I whispered into his ear.

He didn't say anything and sat perfectly still.

I let my hands travel to the front of his shirt and slowly undid the buttons, starting from the top and working my way down. My eyes wandered from his collarbones, to his chest, and finally down to his abdomen where the flat of his stomach was showing. I gently pushed the shirt off of his shoulders, and he let his arms slide out so it fell onto the counter behind him.

His eyes weren't looking at me, but instead his head was turned to the side. I put my hand on the side of his face and tilted his head so it was square with mine. I brushed his dark hair out of his eyes and he looked at me.

"Hey," I said softly.

"Hi," he replied. I moved one of my hands to the small of his back and he moved closer to the edge of the counter where my body was. Nico raised his arms slightly and wrapped them around my neck, where he then proceeded to play with my hair.

"You know," I said quietly. "I like how you're not muscular."

"I'm just skin and bones," he said. "I hardly have any muscles."

"No, you do," I said. I moved my other hand so it was on his side, letting my thumb stroke his skin. "They're just hidden."

He didn't say anything.

And so he sat there on the counter as I stood, taking in his torso with my eyes as he stroked the edge of my hair at my neck. It was quiet, just the two of us listening to each others' breathing, his chest rising and falling only a few inches away from my own.

"Why couldn't I have found you before?" I heard Nico mutter. I sighed and pulled him into a tight hug, feeling his head rest against my shoulder.

"Boys!" a voice called. I heard the door slam shut and I pulled away from Nico quickly. He hopped off of the counter and grabbed his shirt, pulling it over her shoulders. He tried to do up the buttons, but my mom walked into the room, a bag of groceries in her arms.

"Hey, mom," I said. She raised an eyebrow at me and I could see Nico's face turn red from the corner of my eye. She glanced at his unbuttoned shirt and rolled her eyes.

"I went shopping, so," she said. She put the bag of food on the counter.

"Hey, mom?" I asked. She looked at me. "Can I talk to you? In private?"

"Sure," she said. I led her to the hallway, Nico out of sight.

"Okay, did you put a condom on my night stand?" I asked her, glaring. She smiled and pointed a finger at me.

"Always use protection, Percy."

"_Mom_," I hissed. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously," she said. She sighed. "Percy, honey, I know love when I see it. That boy is in love with you, and I know you feel the same way about him."

"I know," I said. "I just...I don't want to take that step in our relationship yet. It's too soon, and I want him to sort things out between his mom first."  
>"What about Jaelyn?" Nico asked. He was standing at the end of the hallway, leaning against a wall.<p>

"Nothing, dear," my mom said. "Are you boys hungry? I'll have dinner ready soon. Also, Percy, the girls are outside bringing in some more groceries. Would you go help?"

I nodded and opened the front door. Nico was behind me.

"Hey!" Annabeth waved at us as we stepped outside. "You guys come out here to help?"

"Yeah," I said. I walked up to her and took a large paper bag from her arms.

"Thanks," she said.

"Nico," Hazel said. She looked at her brother, pain in her eyes. "I...mom called me."

"What? Hazel, when?" Annabeth asked.

"She did?" Nico asked. He eyed his sister.

"She says I have to go home.

"No way," he said. His eyes grew dark. "I'm not letting you go back there."

"Nico, I'll be okay. She says that she's willing to put her beliefs past her," Hazel replied.

"You want me to go back?" he asked her. "She threw me out like trash."

"We ran away," Hazel pointed out. "Look, she's willing to change. For you. Won't you at least give her a chance?"

"Why should I? She's not my real mother. She's my adoptive mother. She's your blood, not mine. I don't have any family left. At all, Hazel. And I don't exactly want to spend the next few years with someone who doesn't accept who I am," Nico said. He turned and walked back inside my house.

I turned to Hazel. Annabeth had her arms around her shoulders.

"I'm his family," she said quietly. She started to cry. I sighed.

"I'll talk to him, Hazel. Okay?" I said. She didn't reply.

I ran back inside and put the bag of groceries on the counter.

"Percy, what's going on?" my mom asked.

"Nothing, it's fine, mom," I said. "Nico!" I called up the stairs into the second floor. No response. I took two steps at a time and got to my room. The door was closed. "Nico? Babe, you in there?" I called. I tapped on the door lightly.

It opened slowly and I found myself staring down at Nico.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked him. I stepped inside the room and closed the door behind me.

"Yeah, I'm fantastic," he said angrily, raising his arms in the air.

"You wanna talk about it?" I asked. He shook his head. "Alright, then." He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me. "You know, you really hurt Hazel just now. It wouldn't be a bad idea to apologize to her."

"Why should I?" he asked. I sighed.

"She's your sister," I said. "She loves and cares about you. She's trying to fix the entire situation on her own, and that's a lot of pressure on a little 13-year-old girl."

"So what?" he said. "I lost my mother the day I was born, Percy. She abandoned me and so did my good-for-nothing father. Don't you think it's reasonable for me to be angry and have trust issues?"

"That's not what I'm saying, Nico-"

"Yes it is."

I scowled.

"Why are you being so difficult?" I asked.

"Because, Jackson, my life is so screwed up and I hate the world so much! I hate it, I hate it, I just fucking hate it and everyone living on it!" he screamed. I took a step back from him, and his eyes grew cold and dark. "I thought you, of all people, would understand what I'm going through and be at least a little caring. Maybe _we _were a big mistake after all."

He quickly turned to the side wall and raised his fist in the air, giving it a good hard punch. I heard the crack of bone and winced as he cried out, but his cry was soon replaced with angry huffs of air.

He pushed his way past me, and I stood there, shocked and hurt, listening to his footsteps go down the stairs and out the front entrance.

The last thing I heard was the door to my house slamming shut.


End file.
